A tragic incident involving a 2-year-old girl named Annelise Camp has reached a sorrowful conclusion. Annelise passed away after being removed from life support, following her near-drowning in a hotel pool on Memorial Day.
Her parents, Johnston and Joy Camp, filed a lawsuit against a Texas hospital to prevent it from conducting tests that would determine if she was brain-dead. The family declared in a statement that Annelise is now “with Jesus” and expressed their heartbreak while trusting in their faith.
“While our hearts are broken, we trust in His perfect love, His faithfulness, and His promises,” the parents stated.
The family had maintained that Annelise showed signs of life and needed more time for recovery and further treatment. Her grandfather, Steve Camp, announced online that the breathing tubes were removed, stating that Annelise “passed very quickly.”
A church service for Annelise will take place next Wednesday in Houston. The Texas Right to Life organization, which supported the family’s case, commented that the legal victory had provided Annelise with two extra months and a chance at recovery.
After the incident, Annelise was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital. Her parents filed a petition to prevent brain death testing, emphasizing that her heart was beating, though she relied on a ventilator. They requested her transfer to another hospital for additional treatment options. Texas Children’s Hospital wanted to conduct tests to plan medical care but reported contacting 36 medical facilities, with 35 declining to accept Annelise without brain death testing.
The Camps successfully transferred her to a Louisiana hospital before she returned to Texas, receiving treatment at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. Texas law, defining brain death as irreversible cessation of brain function, allows hospitals to withdraw life-sustaining measures once declared brain-dead.
Johnston Camp stated, “The big common denominator is time…when you have time, you can see certain readings, but she is showing progressive results from her body or complexions, her vitals.”
Support came from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, advocating for a medical team to match Annelise’s fight for life. In July, her parents reported “encouraging signs” from treatments in Louisiana on a GoFundMe page, pursuing all possible options, including specialized and exploratory treatments.
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